JPSO: Metairie man held woman captive, raped her and forced her into prostitution

Author:
WWL Staff

Published:
10:59 PM CDT July 13, 2017

Updated:
10:59 PM CDT July 13, 2017

METAIRIE -- A woman being held against her will and forced into prostitution escaped and helped detectives arrest her captor, according to police.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office detectives encountered the unidentified woman two times in less than a week. Both times, she was attempting to escape 35-year-old Keston Mimmitt according to JPSO.

On July 9, deputies were dispatched to the 2100 block of Manson Drive in Metairie to help a woman who had injured her leg. Once on the scene, deputies learned that the unidentified woman was injured trying to escape a physically abusive relationship and jumping out a window to get away from Mimmitt.

Police say Mimmitt ran away when first responders came to help the injured woman.

Two days later, police were notified of a woman being treated at a local hospital for injuries sustained during a rape that allegedly took place in the same area of Manson Drive. Detective Kay Horne met the victim at the hospital and recognized her as the injured woman who said she was trying to escape an abusive relationship.

The woman told police that she was too scared to tell deputies the whole story at the first incident, but told Detective Horne that she had been raped multiple times by Mimmitt and was being held inside his home against her will.

The woman also told Det. Horne that Mimmitt was forcing her into prostitution and physically abusing her is she did not cooperate, according to JPSO. She said that this had been going on for months.

According to police, Mimmitt was arrested for human trafficking earlier this year, but those charges are still pending.

Mimmitt was located and arrested the next day, July 12, but has not cooperated with police.

"We are releasing this information, along with Mimmitt's photograph, in hopes that if anyone else was victimized by Mimmitt, they are able to come forward and report the offense," a statement from JPSO said.